Hiking Tilden Regional Park + Lunch at Herbivore
Hello, how was everyone’s weekend? Did you start decorating for Christmas yet?
We’re waiting until next weekend because we have some family coming to town but most of my neighborhood is adorned in lights already. It looks so pretty and has been the only real reminder that winter is nearing since the weather has been so warm and sunny.
We took advantage of the sunshine on Saturday and brought Coco with us to go hiking at Tilden Regional Park in Berkeley. Before we got started, we stopped off for lunch at a vegan spot in Berkeley named Herbivore.
It wasn’t our first time at Herbivore; we actually ate there when we first came out to California on a house hunting trip. It was really good the last time and they have an enormous vegan menu so we went back to try something new.
I ordered the lentil loaf with beet sauce, mashed potatoes and sautéed kale along with a juice made from carrot, apple, and ginger.
Brandon got the BBQ seitan sanwich along with a vanilla milkshake made from coconut ice cream.
That milkshake was preeetttty awesome.
It was a little tricky finding the trailhead for the hike I had planned but we managed to figure it out after locating a park map. Turns out it was a few miles down from the Botanical Gardens which is a popular spot in the park.
The hike starts on Quarry Trail and is wide open for the first mile or so. It would be a hot hike to do in the summer but we lucked out with beautiful {about 60°F} weather on Saturday.
There were lots of people out hiking with their dogs and Coco made friends with another older pup for a bit.
After about twenty minutes of hiking, we looked behind us and realized there was already a nice view in the northwest direction.
The hike continues with a few steep climbs as well as some shaded areas underneath eucalyptus groves.
Quarry then becomes Big Springs Trail which took us up a loooong steep climb.
Finally, after almost a mile of climbing, we reached the Seaview Trail junction which has wide open views of San Francisco and the Golden Gate.
The view was actually really similar to our last hike along Panoramic Hill but this one had open views in every direction.
To the northeast we could see the San Pablo Dam Reservior.
Then to the southeast was a perfect shot of Mount Diablo.
And finally, the Marin headlands to the northwest.
I don’t have the proper lens to shoot far distances in bright light so unfortunately, I just can’t do these hikes the justice they deserve.
You’ll have to trust me when I say that they are breathtaking to see in person. If you enjoy hiking and are ever in the Bay Area, I hope I can influence you to check out some of the ones we’ve done. This one was definitely one of the best so far.
After that, there is about one more mile which is mostly shaded with lots of greenery.
Looking around, it was hard to tell it was almost winter because of the flowers in bloom.
As the hike nears the end, you pass a few more eucalyptus groves and you are back to the parking area at the start.
The total loop is 3.5 miles so even though it’s steep at some points, it’s not too long and was the ideal length for a certain stinky someone.
She had a lot of fun and did a great job keeping up with us the entire time.
Overall, it was a really productive weekend for me. With the help of someone who knows code, I managed to do a few updates to my menu and recipe pages. They still need a little tweaking but I’m hoping it will be more visually appealing when I’m done. I originally wanted to redesign the whole site but time and money aren’t on my side at the moment so it will have to wait. Hopefully sooner than later.
I hope you all had a nice long weekend and were able to recharge your batteries!
Spent most of last weekend redoing my recipes. Such a pain in the ass! But worth it. And I’m still jealous of your coconut shake and gorgeous weather. I hope you at least felt a pang of pity for me as I trekked through the snow. I’m thinking my Cali move needs to be pushed up a couple of years!
I do wish I could go hiking more often… London is not exactly the right place for this. It’s too cold now! Seems to me the weather there is much better :) love the landscape, not to mention the meals you guys had… they are just perfect, healthy and very good, I bet.
So jealous you got to get outside and enjoy the weather! I’m a baby when it comes to the cold , and Boston is officially too cold for me now! lol
Ahhh so jealous of all of the hikes you get to go on. I can tell you one thing–Pittsburgh doesn’t have nearly as many hiking trails and the ones it does have the fews aren’t as spectacular. On another note–that vanilla/coconut milkshake sounds delicious! Glad you had a fun weekend :)
Oh my goodness, I want that milkshake. And those views. I need to invite myself hiking with you sometime ;-)
That restaurant sounds SO good! I wish I had more vegan restaurants near me! :(
You are definitely influencing me with these hikes. I’ve never explored Berekely much, but once David is done with his finals, I realllllly want to go do these hikes! I’m so glad they allow dogs!
I’ve been to Herbivore in SF twice and I really like it. They really do have delicious milkshakes.
Such gorgeous hiking! I wish we had these beautiful places to hike in our area. We haven’t started decorating for Christmas just yet, but the plan is to put the tree up this weekend. I can’t wait!
Ummm that vanilla milkshake looks amazing! I’ve been wanting to try making coconut ice cream for a long time … and now I want to turn it into a milkshake! haha I love all your hiking photos – my husband and I love to go hiking but don’t get to do it all that often…
Kurt and I were just talking about how we never get to go hiking around here. NJ is pretty flat :) Beautiful pictures as always. And yes we have decorated our tree
Oh wow that looks SO pretty!!!! :) How fun! I got to spend lots of time with family so I feel totally refreshed!
I’m so jealous of you, that park sounds wonderful and the views are amazing! There aren’t places like that where I live :–(
I’m glad to read you had a lovely weekend!
Making coconut milkshakes is something I need to do more often. Those babies are delicious!! Looks like you guys has a great weekend filled with good food, weather, and adventures!
What a beautiful hiking trail! I absolutely love the picture of the mountains, city scape, and trees! If you ever come to SoCal, we should go hiking together!
Your views are gorgeous and make me super jealous of where you live! So sweet Coco found a friend, too. I wish my Bella got along with other dogs, but she’s really only friends with the cat. That juice looks awesome too. I’m not vegan, but I love going to those kinds of places cause the food is usually super fresh and healthy!
The views in the hike look great, glad you were able to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather. I wish we had vegan restaurants in lexington. I’m not eating vegan but I’m trying to eat a lot more veggie meals, and vegan restaurants always seem to have creative options.
What a beautiful hike! I’m so jealous. Your pictures are amazing! Hope your week is off to a fabulous start :)
I’m literally salivating at the picture of that juice…deelicious. Your hiking spot looks so incredibly beautiful! Looks like a fantastic time.
I was so jealous of you when you posted the milkshake on IG. Trade lives? I’ll have you know, that it’s snowing SO MUCH that I think I can go snowboarding on the drifts in my driveway today.
This hike looks amazing! What gorgeous views! I’m so jealous it’s still that warm where you live! I love the photo of you hanging off the tree. Also, Coco is such a beautiful dog.
The looks like a great hike. You’re seeing more of the bay area than I have living here my entire life. :) I really need to explore more. Beautiful views.